Well I have been a little delayed in posting and I apologize. Being the CEO of you is not always easy, and can take up more time than expected, but it is still worth the ride. And what a ride it has been! Managing my destiny and my days the way I want them to be…who can ask for more?

So let me back up a bit to explain the title of this blog-Do The Hard Stuff. Every day I try and walk four to five miles. Part of the reason I walk is to clear my mind. I simply love it. The additional health benefits are not bad either. So the last two months I have kicked up the walk from 4 to 5 miles and I have added two hills. I start uphill and I end uphill! It is great for my quads, calves and cardiovascular health. I have Asthma so it is a challenge.

As I walk I am able to think about how I can be better at my business and how I can help my customers. Great ideas emerge from those walks.

Well, those two hills gave me my title today and ideas on how to be better in business. DO THE HARD STUFF. Walk up the hill and make it to the top. Is it easier to take the shorter and flatter route? Sure…but will the short cut benefit me in the long run? Nope! So what is the hard stuff?

For me and my business it is:

* Having the difficult conversations with consultants and customers about money or quality of work.

*Deciding when to walk away…when the project is no longer fun.

* Attending every social event possible even though I may not want to go because opportunity is everywhere.

* Saying no to a project, when the money is good, but it may not be a good fit.

*Reaching out to past prospects and circling back. Or making cold calls.

For my customers:

*Spending money on hiring qualified staff. You would think that would be easy but it’s probably one of our biggest challenges.

*Getting my docs to invest in uniforms, cardigans, blazers for the staff.

* Determining who should stay on their team…trying to decide on keeping or hiring the people who have the skills and motivation to take it to the next level and taking action and letting go of the people who are simply not part of the “A” team. Can you imagine how many practices have that one person who is ‘not nice ‘ to the patients but ‘is always on time for work?” Seriously….

*making time for proper education for their staff. It always seems to be trial by fire.

* Spending money on updating their practice- often my clients believe reputation is everything….sadly it is not…what matters is how people feel about you when they walk in the door.

So this week I challenge everyone to do something hard…one thing you have been post poning or procrastinsting to do in your personal or business life. Add a work out, start that diet, write a new job description, do your cold calls, have the ‘performance and quality of work talk,’ or simply step out of your comfort zone for five minutes and do something out of character. And watch the opportunities unfold once it is done!

It’s Friday! For most people that means the end of the work week and plans for something amazing to do Friday night and the weekend. Some of you spend the entire week planning the weekend right? Did you ever get to the end of the week and just say…”All I want to do is lounge around in my jams?” All of the above right?!

For me, it is not about the weekend any more? It is not about “What is the plan for Saturday?” For me it is “What is the plan every day?” It is kind of fun! It’s not a stressful plan. Just knowing that I have a lot of control over how and when I spend my work time and play time is a breath of fresh air. This is the dream that I have come to realize. You can too!

I am not a 9 to 5 kind of girl. For one thing, I simply worked too hard for other people and made them more money while I always went in early and never left on time and was told increases were on hold! We have all heard that..right?

When I figured out my plan was “How am I going to get through another week of that stress,” I realized it was time for a change. And change I did! God bless my husband for never panicking in front of me when I quit my job(s)…maybe inside he was, but he never showed it. He told me he knew I would be a success at anything I did. So I am here to tell you…sometimes there was NO plan…I just knew I needed a change. And guess what…the first time I veered off on my own consulting gig I went back to the corporate world about two years later…I got enticed by a consistent high end salary and travel…it seemed like that was success. I learned a lot about life, people, who I could count on…I had some major letdowns in people…felt betrayal…but I also met some amazing people along the way. Most importantly I learned that the job was not what made me a success….

Well like I said, there was no plan and I kept floating along…promotions and different jobs…and then ….DOWNSIZING…Someone pushed me into a plan! And then I realized…take control of your life and dream big. Don’t compare yourself to others and don’t dwell in your failures. THE PLAN IS…live each day as an opportunity to be better. You will make mistakes…you will have wins…and you may want to lounge in your PJs. The only thing you need to do is forge ahead and work on what makes you happy. If you want to be your own boss, the CEO of you, it is possible. It does not mean there will not be hard work. It may be the hardest thing you have ever done…but the Plan B is “Be happy with you and your path.”

My motto ” Do what you need to do without intentionally hurting people. Be kind, be an example but be you.” Message me to chat about your plan or learn more about mine!

If you are my age, you will remember the song ‘The Beat Goes On” by Sonny and Cher. That song was sung at Sonny Bono’s funeral and I believe the phrase appears on his tombstone. I was thinking a lot about that phrase a few weeks ago. Not to mention I love the song! Anyway, I had just completed an amazing project outside of the U.S. and it was a pretty big deal for my consulting company and team. I should have been on an all time high. But as life goes, I was hit with some snags, unrelated to the event, literally the next day. Nothing major, but just enough to cause some self doubt about my decisions. It was just enough to make me take pause to my direction and even question my support system. Was I taking both of my businesses in the right direction? Did I have the right people on my team? Was I doing the right thing for my team?

Those who know me, are aware that I am pretty much, for lack of a better phrase, a glass half full kind of girl. I cant remember when I had self doubt. I just simply do not allow it in my life. I move forward. I may hit some obstacles on my journey but I keep going. So it was strange for me to have this moment of question. And then I though about all the reasons “WHY” I do what I do, and I knew at that moment I had to continue to forge ahead and not second guess my actions and decisions.

So, I find that phrase ” The Beat Goes On” very appropriate from time to time for people like me who work for themselves. And if you sing it, it really puts you in a good mood! Because, we may be smiling on the outside, but that doesn’t mean everything is always hunky dory on the inside. People like me know how to ‘fake it till we make it’ because we are either expected to always be ‘on’ or we are trying to be strong for other people. Sometimes we are putting up a great front for people who look up to us or rely on us for work. Sometimes we are putting on a great show for potential new business. And lord knows it can be exhausting at times. Those days can feel like there is nothing left to give when I get home to my family!

So I am here to tell you, when the doubts may seem to overpower the validation, or the road traveled is getting a little rocky, those are the days we must remember most that ‘The Beat Does Go On.” Life doesn’t stop because we had a set back, or a failure …it continues. And it will be great again. And the if you look around at life in general you will find that your little snag is probably nothing compared to someone else who has hit some hard knocks. People are losing their jobs, losing their homes, losing loved ones, having their spouses deployed for months…..and your little snag, or failure….that is nothing in the grand scheme of things.

The difference between those of us who make the long journey and have success versus others who turn back and make excuses for their failures, is remembering things like the phrase…The Beat Goes On… or just digging deep down and remembering your WHY.

Don’t let a failure, a set back or even a friend cause you self-doubt. Don’t let someone allow you to second guess your vision. You set out on a journey to be your own boss for a reason. It took amazing courage. You are not perfect. There will be failures. There will be set backs. But there will be wins. These are opportunities for improvement. These are the learning moments that make us better.

“And the beat goes on, the beat goes on
Drums keep pounding a rhythm to the brain
La de da de de, la de da de da”

I am sure you have heard the phrase, “If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.” My generation has grown up hearing that phrase. But today, this is not necessarily the case. More than ever are we seeing growing opportunities for entrepreneurs. Maybe this is because many of us are tired of the “uncertainty” that lies within corporate jobs these days. “Who is going to be the next group to be downsized? ”

Perhaps people are tired of spending half of their day commuting to a job that may pay well, but that is taking them away from family time. “Working for my family but never seeing my family? “ That seems to be a common theme. Perhaps some of us are tired of working ‘our all’ just to help someone else make all the money. Whatever the reason is, there are home based businesses out there that are “tried and true.”

Don’t get me wrong. Success doesn’t happen over night and magically you are making millions. Everything takes practice, dedication and work. But with the proper choice in business and the right attitude, you have no limits. YOU, are entirely up to you.

Usually my blogs do not promote a particular company, but today I want to share a bit about my ‘side gig.’ Why? Because people DO think it is too good to be true and I want to share the gift that has been given to me. I was lucky enough to listen and learn when people pitched ideas to me. I was lucky enough to see the business opportunity in front of me when it was presented. I was able to start a home based business, fully up and running with a website and product for under $1000.00 in five minutes. My only regret is not having started sooner. My slow decision was probably due to the fear of what ‘others might think.’ So when you are looking at something that you think is too good to be true, STOP, THINK, LISTEN…and just maybe you can find your plan B.

Listen to the opportunity-what is 30 minutes out of your day ? It is nothing if you consider you are about to hear about something that may change your life!

Do some research. Ask questions and review the company profile.

Consider the ‘buy in’ and the product. Is there a valid, branded product to stand behind?

Don’t worry about what other people think. If you want to go for it go for it. The only regrets are the chances we never took.

Can you start earning immediately?

Are there policies and procedures?

Do you need to have inventory at home or is it internet based?

Do you need a support team to execute your plan?

These are just a few of the questions I would ask. But in the end, what have you got to lose?I was lucky enough to learn about Rodan & Fields and I have been an Independent consultant for over a year. I have been supplementing my income from where ever I am-at home, on vacation, at my day job and anywhere!. I am running my business from my phone and it is a blast!

My final point, have a BLAST! You need to LOVE what you are doing. I am lucky enough to be having fun while I work this business. And so, as I know “it is entirely up to me” to be a success, I have decided to put more time into this side gig year two. And you know what-I am making money and learning a lot about business. Some of what I learn with my side gig has helped me be even better at my main gig. So, the next time someone presents an opportunity to you that seems ” TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE,” the time has come to take a listen and learn. You may just find your PLAN B!

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